


a night with nobility

by Cakeenkets



Category: Aphmau Minecraft Diaries, aphmau - Fandom, diaries - Fandom, mcd - Fandom
Genre: Au where Travis joins the party before Garroth’s identity is found out by Zane, Au where everything’s still peachy, Awkward Flirting, Dancing, Flirting, M/M, Second-Hand Embarrassment, Travis-centric, au where Zane hasnt done anything to fuck everyone over yet, because Travis, cursing, kind of, you'll be surprised who curses the most
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2019-12-11
Updated: 2019-12-11
Packaged: 2021-02-26 04:02:27
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 1
Words: 4,541
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/21757240
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/Cakeenkets/pseuds/Cakeenkets
Summary: He must’ve done something to the divines for them to really have it out on him. Out of all the stuck-up nobles in this party, he had to just be stuck with the one noble everybody pointedly told him to stay away from. Oh well, at least if ever makes it out alive, maybe Lady Katelyn would give him a little bit more respect. Big maybe.
Relationships: Zane Ro'Meave/Travis Valkrum
Comments: 14
Kudos: 117





	a night with nobility

**Author's Note:**

> i love writing travis' pov maaaan i am travis, travis is me  
> also, this fic might not be on par with what i usually put out. i've only proofread this twice and honestly, finals are wearing me out and i just wanna get this out already ;;  
> so enjo

Travis stood stiffly by the edge of the ballroom, sticking out like a thorn from a bed of roses, which arguably was the best and accurate depiction for his situation at the moment as he was a commoner playing amongst the nobles for the night. His fidgety hands found their place in fiddling with the hem of his newly tailored coat, better than fiddling with the strap of his sling bag, that's for sure. 

He watched from across the room as Lady Aphmau chatted amongst some of the political figures of O'Khasis, her smile bright and the delightedness of her face authentic and pure, not a trace of malice to be found. Sir Garroth and Lady Katelyn stood idly beside her, both of their weapons ready if the need for it arises. 

Honestly, it wasn't her fault that Travis stood so awkwardly by the sidelines. He was the one who accepted her invitation to be there in the first place, knowing well that she wouldn’t be able to entertain him during the event. Hell, she shouldn’t. The four of them were at this event for serious important political whatever Katelyn said. They weren’t here to enjoy the party, far from it actually. They were here for business, business that could very well lead to an old out war between cities if the worst case scenario plays out. Plus, Travis could have very well declined the offer and stayed at home, but this was a ball. An actual royal ball. For what it’s worth, this was a once in a lifetime opportunity, especially to a hermit like himself. There was no way he was turning this down.

Now though, he kind of wished that he did. He has no idea how to act in such a prestigious setting. This was nothing like the very few fairytale stories with a ballroom setting his mother had told him when he was younger.

Sure, everything was still as extravagant and grandeur as he had expected but it was all too much, too arrogant, too loud, and came across as gaudy and tasteless. It was definitely kind of tacky if Travis were too be honest. The ballroom was lined with golden trimmings. Massive chandeliers hung gorgeously above their noses. The floors were polished spotless to the point that you can almost see your own reflection mirroring perfectly on the surface.

Several tables were lined. Each draped with heavy ivory white cloth. And food—Travis had never seen such elaborately decorated food before—looking so delicious and expensive were laid on top of those tables in an equally beautiful arrangement. The dishes almost seemed like they were drowning from the amount of decorations that accompanied them. Travis might just pass on eating that pasta with gold shavings and numerous sparkly black and white  _ something _ . He didn’t think food that continuously glittered on its own was normal.

The people who took part in the ball were not much different from the decorations that adorned the venue. The room was occupied by people of nobility and their guards and escorts, people with power and a place in high social class ranking. The guests were dressed in flamboyant, and almost gaudy-looking clothing. The textures of their clothing looked impossibly as soft as the clouds that hung around the sky and as shiny as silk and that weird dish from before. If that wasn’t enough, their clothes were also pigmented with the brightest and highest grade of colors and topping it all off were a bunch of heavy looking gold and diamond accessories. 

Annoying laughter also accompanied their clothing as they stalked around the ballroom. The sound of their shrill voices trailed not long after them, floating into the air of the ballroom. Travis cringed every time he hears them talking with their sickly sweet voices, drawling out their words like poison.  _ Fake. _ Travis can tell that much. He had never thought that he would rather prefer the harsh brutal yet honest words from the people on his island instead of whatever this was.

Tired of standing around doing nothing but numbing his limbs and sweating in his newly tailored coat, Travis abandoned his imaginary post and willed his legs to move, making a steady beeline for the figure across the ballroom.

He swiftly made it to Garroth, painstakingly aware of every step he took, the heel of his boots clacking on the smooth glassy floor. Garroth seemed to have noticed him halfway through his journey, and the guard let out a smile of relief. Well, Travis couldn't tell if the guard had actually smiled since the man  _ still _ refused to remove his helmet, even in a ballroom event, but judging from the way the guard's shoulders relaxed and the grip of his hand on his weapon seemed to have loosened, Travis liked to think that he was at least glad to see him.

" _ Hey Garroth _ ", Travis breathed out as if the guard's name brought him such a relief, lifting a heavy weight from his shoulders, which it kind of did in a way. He was absolutely dying back there.

"Hello Travis”, the guard returned his greeting, voice leveled and soft, a stark contrast from all of the voices Travis has heard in the past hour or so. It was such a refreshing and calming sound that Travis found himself shamelessly basking in the tranquility of it, finally feeling the social panic in his chest fading away.

The moment, of course, did not last for more than two seconds and Travis found himself wrapped in an awkward air around him and Garroth. Garroth had soon returned his gaze back at the conversing Lady Aphmau and some fancy looking man with a funny beard, leaving Travis with no chance to even start a conversation to save his life. Travis bunched his shoulders and began not so subtly rocking on his feet. He can feel Garroth slightly tense and that was his only indication that the guard was still acknowledging his presence, despite basically flat-out cutting their conversation short. Travis bet that if they were at a different setting, the guard would ask him what he was doing. At a loss in saving the previous relaxing atmosphere, Travis inched closer to the Garroth, mouth opening at an attempt to speak again.

"So, uh, some party, huh?" Travis cringed at his efforts but he quickly offered a small laugh afterwards, in hopes that his awkwardness was unnoticed. Garroth simply hummed softly in response, his gaze out and still scanning their surroundings. Travis didn’t have a lot of indicators but he can tell that the guard seemed a lot more contemplative that night, looking like he had a lot to say more than usual but instead, he remained predictably quiet, choosing not to speak out his thoughts, save for a brief response to the white-haired demon.

"Indeed, it is”, was the only response the demon gets.

Travis cringed. It looked like this party wasn't only making Travis awkward. Although, he might reevaluate that assessment later since Garroth has always been a tad awkward, sorry buddy.

"Hey, any idea where the restrooms are?", Travis asked all of a sudden, an idea sparking in his head. This was all too much. He needed just a little bit of time to himself to snap out of it.

Garroth, thankfully answered him more helpfully this time. "Ah, its down the hall, to the left.” The guard raised his left hand and gestured.

Travis smiled brightly. "Thanks!" He clapped a hand on the back of the guard’s armor and  _ ouch _ that was not a good idea. Travis winced but kept his smile plastered on his tanned face, offering two thumbs up at the guard before he began walking away.

Before he got too far though, Garroth spoke again. “Do you need any assistance, Travis?", he asked and Travis stopped short to look back at the guard.

Despite offering to accompany the demon, Garroth made no move from his position beside Lady Aphmau. It seemed like he would rather stay by her side for the whole duration of the party but nonetheless, wanted to offer Travis assistance as a polite gesture. Travis smiled understandingly at the unsure guard and he shook his head. Lazily waving a hand at his direction, he continued his walk towards the exit of the ballroom.

"Nah, it's fine."

He left the ballroom and everything was in fact,  _ not fine _ . 

For whatever reason, Travis couldn't seem to follow simple directions and he ended up more lost than ever. 

He had circled around and passed through the same hallway about four times already. No doubt his friends,  _ especially _ Garroth were probably wondering where he's been. 

Travis sighed exasperatedly, both hands tugging on his white hair in the usual Travis fashion but like, more stressed out.

This was  _ not _ a good situation he got himself into. 

Getting lost was one thing. Getting lost in the heart of O'Khasis while being the son of the fucking demon warlock was another. The entire situation just screamed his front row ticket to his own execution, or worse, a war between O'Khasis and Phoenix Drop. He really didn't need O'Khasis, the center of the entire region finding out of his origins and accusing him of snooping around when he had enough shit going on in his own home island already.

Travis ran another hand through his hair. This was no time for anxiety. He needed to get back to the party. Maybe he should go walk through that hallway to the right next. If Enki was on his side, which he really  _ really _ wished he was, he might find a guard stationed and he could ask for directions. Surely if he looked desperate enough—which he was—to find a guard, maybe they wouldn’t be suspicious of him. Yeah, that sounded like a good idea. He began to trudge down the hallway to the right.

Update, it was  _ not _ a good idea.

He stopped short and came face to face with the High Priest himself.  _ Fuck _ . Travis cursed his cursed soul for having such terrible luck.

The high priest looked equally surprised to see him. The man looked like he was in the middle of stalking down the hall and seemed to be in haste. It didn’t take long for the man’s icy blue eye to narrow into slits. There was a tight frown on his face, Travis just noticing that the high priest’s usual face mask was nowhere to be seen. He looked like he wanted to snap at Travis and bark a snarky demand for an answer. He almost did actually, but then an indistinguishable look passed over his pale face and his previous expression was replaced by a deceivingly blank and indifferent one.

"What are you doing here?”, he finally spoke after what seemed like hours. He didn’t sound mad, as much as Travis could tell, but that could very well be all a façade. “The party is on the other side of the castle", the man continued, assuming then that Travis was a guest, which, duh, was the obvious guess. Travis bit down the urge to groan at how stupid it was for him to panic in the first place as he looked at the high priest, expression waiting for a reply.

Travis blinked.  _ Talk _ . "Oh, um, you know”, Travis gestured to a random direction, and then quickly dropped his hands to his sides. “Just went to the bathroom."

The high priest stared him down and Travis could feel himself every part of him being scrutinized by that intense glare. He feared that by simply looking at him, the high priest could figure him out, figure out his origins and against Travis’ better judgement, the demon held his breath, his body going impossibly stiff. It felt like hours as the high priest surveyed his appearance. Travis couldn’t help himself feeling bare and vulnerable under his sharp eye and Travis’ shoulders slowly started shaking as he gave out a nervous laugh.

"A face like mine doesn’t stay pretty by itself, y'know?" Travis winked and  _ oh gods _ , he winked at the high priest of O’Khasis. Enki kill him now.

The high priest quirked an eyebrow, and in an instant, the man’s face lit up in recognition, as if he'd seen Travis’ face before, as if he  _ knew _ him. Travis swallowed thickly. It was a real battle keeping his hands from fumbling with his coat again. Please don't recognize me.  _ Please don't recognize me. _ __

"You're accompanying Lady Aphmau tonight, am I correct?"  _ Fuck. _

"Yup."

"Why haven't I seen you before?"

_ Good _ . Travis inwardly sighed in relief. Great, so he knows he’s with the lady but he doesn’t know of his origins. Travis almost wanted to cry at the Divines. He chose to answer instead.

"Well, I'm pretty new to the party so—", he motioned his hand in a so-so manner.

The guarded and wary expression slightly dissipated from the high priest's face. Travis should be insulted at the fact that the man seemed to let his guard down at him but honestly, Travis was more relieved. The less conflict he got himself into, the better.

"I take it you already know my name and my status, yes?", the high priest asked and of course Travis knew the answer was a yes.

Yes, he knew who Zane Ro’Meave was. Zane Ro’Meave of O’Khasis, High Priest of the Faith of Lady Irene. Zane Ro’Meave, the second son of the Lord of O’Khasis. Zane Ro’Meave, the guy Lady Katelyn oh so wants to beat into a pulp with her iron fists. Zane Ro’meave, the mysterious man clad in all black attire, face as pale as porcelain, sharp blue eye staring straight into him, and waiting for a response—

"Um, yeah", Travis intelligently replied. “You’re Zane. Zane Ro’Meave..?”

Zane nodded. "And you are?"

Travis hesitated before opting to answer, "Travis.”

" _ Travis _ ..?"

"You're going to have to take me out first if you want to know the rest." Travis smirked and the high priest’s schooled expression was broken off with a look of surprise, the same surprise Travis felt himself as soon as the words came out of his mouth registered in his head.

_ Idiot! _ Why did he say that? Aphmau was going to have either a laugh or a heart attack once she'd heard that Travis had literally flirted with the high priest. That is, if he even survives this encounter. 

Zane eyed the weapon on Travis' left and Travis followed his gaze, widening his eyes when he realized where it landed and what that look could’ve meant.  _ Wait! Shit! _

"No,  _ no! _ That's not what I meant!" Travis quickly waved his hands in the air, very pointedly keeping them a distance away from his weapon, which was in hindsight, a really foolish decision. But he really didn’t want the priest to get the wrong idea so Travis continued, "I meant like take me out! On—on a  _ date _ or something."  _ Wow _ , he was absolutely killing it tonight. 

Zane simply brought his gaze back at Travis’ panicked green eyes and smiled, smug and all absolutely shit-eating. Travis felt his cheeks burn hotter.

"I know", the high priest replied.

_ That bastard! _

The shock and disbelief Travis felt must've shown in his face as Zane's grin slowly grew wider, and amused. Travis wanted to wipe that stupidly cute smug smile on his face so badly.

Zane stalked forward and Travis took an instinctive step back. "So  _ Travis _ ", the high priest drawled the demon's name as if his name held some sort of secret, and hell, it did, but it wasn’t like the priest knew about it. Despite knowing that, it still made the hairs at the back of the demon's neck rise either way.

"Are you lost?", Zane asked.

"No", Travis lied, and Zane stared at him with a knowing look that said otherwise.

Instead of catching Travis in the lie, the high priest seemed to be content enough to play along. The priest nodded his head to the direction to their left and Travis warily drifted his gaze from the man to the corridor up ahead. 

"Very well then, would you like me to accompany you back to the ballroom? If you are ready to get going and return to your Lady, that is." Zane offered another smile, different and very much unlike from the ones before. They were missing all of the malice and arrogance it had. It looked so false and oh so wrong on his face, as if it wasn’t used to making such the expression. Travis hesitated trusting this man. Hell, he shouldn't trust this man!  _ But.. _

“I wouldn’t want anything to happen to any of the guests in O’Khasis’ ball tonight.”

"Okay", Travis quickly made his decision, and Zane smirked. The high priest then took a stride forward, and began taking the lead on their walk back to the ballroom, Travis trailing only a few steps behind.

"Is the party any to your liking,  _ Travis _ ?", Zane asked after a few passes of the long corridors. 

The walk back was quiet, silent and tense as hell. Travis kept his eyes trained at the back of the high priest's skull like a hawk, only flitting at his surroundings from time to time, observing and coming up with multiple escape routes in his head just in case he was being led to a trap. 

Zane, however looked relaxed and composed. He seemed to enjoy watching the white-haired man squirm under his gaze, and that made Travis even more irritated that ever. He now got why this man just gets in Katelyn’s nerves.

" _ Travis? _ ", Zane’s voice spoke a second time and there it is  _ again _ . Saying his name in a weird deceivingly honeyed voice. Travis tried to shake the uncomfortable feeling he got whenever he hears it. 

They walk some more in silence and Travis, despite knowing that Zane wouldn’t be able to see what he was going to do, managed a noncommittal shrug as they rounded another corner.

"Eh, not a fan to be honest," Travis replied, answering the previous question. He then smirked, and with a teasing lilt in his voice, he added, "Don't like any of the ladies dancing there anyways." 

Travis heard Zane hum.

"What about the men?"

Travis stopped short, ungracefully bumping into the high priest’s back. The question caught the demon so out of guard that Travis stumbled as he tried to get away from the priest, his grin quickly vanishing from his face. Zane had caught his arm before he fell once more, saving him from the fate of falling face flat on the floor and embarrassing himself further than he already has for tonight. 

Zane pulled him closer and the next thing he knew, Zane’s back was arching towards him, his hand locked firmly on his wrist and the other finding its way on the demon’s back, offering support to maintain his balance. Travis glanced up, eyes wide and a flurry of emotions all attacking him at once. His jaw slackened and his brows furrowed in absolute confusion.

" _ What? _ ", he squeaked, voice barely above a whisper.

The same kind of shock flashed in the high priest's face, but he was quicker to compose himself and as soon as the flash of embarrassment appeared, it disappeared just as fast, quickly replaced by a look of determination and  _ yearning? _ Travis' heart beat faster at the look on Zane’s face and he can feel his own face flush harder.

After a few beats of  _ godawful _ silence, save for the sound of the both of their erratic breathing or lack thereof, Zane spoke and Travis' breath hitched.

"May I have this dance, Travis?", his voice echoed across the hall and Travis remained as stiff and unmoving as ever and  _ woah _ , he just realized that this must be real uncomfortable for the high priest to be holding up his all his weight, less he fall, so he should probably answer now before he pulls the two of them crashing to the ground and their faces crashing into each—

"Okay", Travis breathed out in the tiniest voice he could muster.

They slowly steadied their stances without much of a single word exchanged aside from the small ‘ _ thank you _ ’ from Travis. The hand gripping on Travis’ wrist was now gingerly interlocked with his hand. And if Travis wasn’t trying to contain the panic bubbling in his heart, he would’ve noticed the priest's hand lightly shaking, matching his own.

The pair seemed to blank out for a moment as they face each other, at a loss as to where to put their hands since they were both boys and despite himself, Travis laughed at the silliness of the situation. Zane flushed and grumbled something under his breath, looking away momentarily yet hands still firm on Travis’ own.

Travis didn't catch any of what the priest way saying and was about to ask when Travis felt a hand snake its way on his waist. Travis yelped indignantly and when he searched the priest’s face for an explanation, all he saw was a smirk planted back on Zane's lips and Travis' face burned. Travis tentatively hovered his hand on Zane’s shoulder and upon looking at the approving smile on Zane’s face, he gently placed it on the priest’s shoulder and looked away as he did.

As if on cue, the first note of a distant song playing reached his ears, the first telltale sign that Travis realized that they were near the ballroom now. Travis half expected Zane to let go of him now, save any more embarrassment for the high priest’s sake if they were caught. If  _ he _ was caught with a man like him!

When Travis’ hesitation communicated verbally in the way that he loosened his grip and lifted his hand from Zane’s shoulder, whatever trance Zane was in snapped and the high priest moved, leaving Travis to instantly let his hand fall back on the man’s shoulder. They began moving together with the beat of the song, bodies stiff and awkward, Travis refusing to remove his gaze from their feet as they danced. But when he did find the courage to lift his eyes from the ground, he soaked in all the features from Zane’s face up-close. Travis stared in awe at the tiny dusting of freckles on soft porcelain-like skin, the long dark lashes that kissed his freckle-dusted cheeks when he blinked, the slight crinkle on the corners of his soft-looking lips and the corners of his eyes, the gentle blue on one of his irises, gazing longingly into his own, soaking in all of  _ his _ features.

Their movements flowed smoother then as the faint music of the ballroom picked up its pace, graceful and complimenting each other’s rhythmic movements. While Zane still remained almost stiff and stoic, he kept the two of them grounded as Travis moved elegantly in all the ways that represented just how experienced he was in the field and as well as his carefree personality.

Hips swaying and feet moving in harmony, the two melted deeper and deeper to one another, bodies moving as one. The initial fear and confusion dissipated and Travis was left wondering what he was so worried of in the first place. Something bubbled in his chest as Travis was spun around, playing the part of the girl, and a whole-hearted laughter broke out of him. He heard a sharp inhale and he turned just in time to spot a fond smile on Zane’s lips. Instead of feeling embarrassed, Travis lit up, proud to have been the cause of the breathtaking look on the high priest’s reddening face.

The two resumed dancing, ignoring the sounds of the music now and thoroughly focused on one another instead, the sounds of their easy laughter and rapid breathing, the clacking of their shoes and the swishing of their movements, simply enjoying immersing themselves with each other’s movements.

They remained like this for a while until the music gradually died down, its pace slowing to a stop as the sound of a crowd clapping swallowed the previous tune in the air. The music then came to a stop, and the two stop dancing, their chests still heaving and their eyes locked into one another's. Travis' eyes were as wide as saucers. He still couldn’t believe his luck! His  _ unluckiness _ !

Neither of them separated from each other as Zane tentatively inched closer and their chests were almost pressed against each other. Travis could feel the rapidness of the high priest's heart beat rivaling his own, from the adrenaline of the dance or from something else, Travis didn’t know entirely. He could feel Zane's cool breath lightly brush over his lips and Travis unconsciously parted them as he looked dazedly at the growing color on the freckled skin of the high priest's.

There was a silent click and Zane swiftly pulled away. The action was so instant and so sudden that Travis had to blink to make sure he hadn’t imagined it. Unfortunately, he hadn't and Travis was almost surprised and disappointed.  _ Wait, what? _

After guaranteeing that they both were at a safe and respectable distance from each other, Zane offered him a curt smile, the same one as the first one Travis received. Practiced and controlled. Travis frowned, a sharp stinging piercing through his chest.

"Until then,  _ Travis _ ”, Zane spoke, voice clipped and eyes refusing to meet his. The priest then bowed slightly, turned his heel and then left without another beat, passing by the demon’s left, hand brushing with Travis' and if Travis wasn’t reading onto it much, he might even say that the touch lingered for a second too long before hesitantly moving away. Travis stood there unmoving as he heard the clacking of heels slowly retreat.

"U-uh yeah”, Travis replied although it fell on no one’s ears. He blinked at the direction in which the high priest disappeared, and his chest twisted with a foreign feeling.  _ What? _

" _ Travis! _ "

A voice pulled the demon from his thoughts and he whipped his head to see the ballroom door creak open and a familiar guard stepping out, approaching him.

"Thank Irene", Garroth sighed. "What took you so long? We were worried something might've happened to you."

Travis stared at Garroth and he might've taken too long to respond since Garroth was reaching for his arm, offering a comforting touch on the shoulder. He was worried, Travis could tell, but Travis, being the idiot he was, ignored his friend’s concern and instead, stared wistfully at the direction Zane had left. Something burning in his cheeks and his heart continued to ache.

He turned to Garroth, and  _ oh _ . He must’ve really done something now because the guard looks like he almost wanted to go as far to take off his mask just so he could bring more comfort to the demon, knowing that a reassuring smile often brought the demon at peace. Still, Travis felt his throat clogging up and he unknowingly brought a hand up to clutch on the strap of his sling bag, near the spot where his heart lay. Travis swallowed whatever shit he was feeling now, and he dazedly turned around to face Garroth.

"Where was the bathroom again?"


End file.
